Dark Sister (Paperback)

by Graham Joyce (Author) "When Alex had ripped out the boards, in a cracking and splintering of wood, he called Maggie..." (more)
Key Phrases: flying ointment, dark sister, turquoise light, Old Liz, Death Lullaby, Singing Chain (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Dark Sister is the third book by British fantasy writer Graham Joyce to be published in the United States--and the author travels further into the realm of pure horror than he did in The Tooth Fairy or Requiem. Maggie, an unfulfilled, restless housewife in England, comes to terms with her nascent, otherworldly power amidst a disheveled and antagonistic domestic life. Her archaeologist-husband Alex is subtly dominating, which makes for an unfulfilling marriage. So, Maggie buries herself in the chaos of her small children, until a chance discovery both liberates her and invokes catastrophe.

During a routine cleaning of a chimney fireplace, she discovers an herbalist's journal; soon after, her life unfurls wildly and runs horribly aground. It seems that the owner of the journal was not just an herb woman, but also a witch with real powers. Inspired by this forgotten woman, Maggie begins to dabble in the arts of Wicca. The gifts it brings her are powerful--a sense of freedom, purpose, even clairvoyance. But every gift has its counterbalance, and Maggie's newfound telepathy allows her to see things she might have wanted to remain hidden. Even more ominously, it seems that in unearthing the journal, Maggie has awakened deep tragedies from an abandoned time, and the evil that now stalks her and her family might be insatiable and unstoppable. --Tamara Hladik --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Tooth Fairy was a PW Best Book of 1998.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (June 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312872542
• ISBN-13: 978-0312872540
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #699,402 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and magical..., July 31, 1999

By	mizlauren "mizlauren" (South OC Coast, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Sister (Hardcover)

I bought this book knowing nothing more than the general summary, and having never read anything by Graham Joyce before. DARK SISTER turned out to be one of the best books I have ever read. I finished in a day. It is original with the right blend of ancient wiccan traditions, rational pyschology, and a dash of fantasy (i.e. shapeshifting, which I am assuming is the latter but could be wrong). It will inspire you to whip out your spellbook or take a dance through a moonlit forest at midnight... Enjoy!

Miss Lauren Smith

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating tale of Witchcraft and it's deadly aftermath, June 25, 2000

By	Ness Cooper (Cheshire, UK) - See all my reviews

I decided to read Dark Sister after reading Graham Joyce's 'The Tooth Fairy' - which left me needing to search for more of his books.

Dark Sister has a very original plot and is an excellently executed novel which grips you all the way through till it's disturbingly grim end. After finished reading I did a little research into Wiccan and Old Herbal practices and was pleased and surprised to discover how much truth was in the novel!

I have to agree though with a previous reviewer here that the ending did feel a little rushed and maybe not all the subplots and been adequately concluded; but this is my only complaint.

Nonetheless, more people should sit down and read Graham Joyce as he is certainly one of Britain's finest writers today. I will now endeavour to read all of his work that I can lay my hands on.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Completely engrossing with dark twists., April 1, 2004

By	DogsDeserveCompassion (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is a book meant to be read in one sitting, preferably on a dark dreary night while the wind is howling through all of the cracks & crevices of old windows. Though I have the old, drafty windows, unfortunately, I no longer have the luxury of reading anything in one sitting and was forced to settle for half hour reading spurts whenever I could steal away from the various noises (kids fighting, husband yapping, tv blaring) residing in my home. Despite the pick-up and put-down method of my reading I was able to fall into the book all over again each time I began anew. This really says something about the story considering I'm unable to get through 3 out of 4 books I read lately. Like the previous Graham Joyce book I read "The Tooth Fairy", the characters in Dark Sister are realistic, imperfect people with many flaws. No one is perfect through and through.

Maggie is an engrossing character caught in a stifling marriage. She's a stay-at-home mom who longs for a little more than keeping house (and getting criticized by husband Alex when things are not up to his standards). Alex, an insecure turd, is the type who would lock her in a tower and throw away the key if he could get away with it and refuses to allow her to return to school. When the not-so-happy couple discover an old journal filled with herbal lore Maggie becomes a little obsessed with learning its secrets. As Maggie delves deeper into the world of magic and makes two new friends (a lonely herbalist and an eccentric, crusty old lady) who become part of her journey, her marriage continues to go down the tubes. I found Maggie's magical discoveries quite interesting but it's the increasing destruction of her family life that adds an emotionally grueling level to the story.

Maggie is a much more sympathetic character than Alex the a-hole but she also has her share of faults as well (but, hmmm, are they all her fault?). In anger, she says a few well deserved horribly awful things to Alex but I cringed because her young children were listening (and she knew it). She also forgets her responsibilities (i.e., her children) one time too many when her other world begins to consume her and she doesn't seem overly bothered by the fact. These missteps added to the realism of her character. I'm so sick of flawless characters and these people, even when unlikable, were a smack of reality and a nice change of pace.

Another thing I liked was the depiction of Maggie's youngest son. He looks like a cherubic angel but acts like a real kid. He's a genuine, tantrum throwing brat who reacts to the increasing turmoil within his family with fear and fits. I found this very sad and yet another eloquently written layer of the story.

As the story progresses and Maggie's dabbling with magic has some eye-opening results (love the revenge on Alex) but also awakens her "dark sister" and the story becomes even more intense. Another highly recommended book from beginning to end.